


promise

by StarseekerWolf



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21983323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarseekerWolf/pseuds/StarseekerWolf
Summary: A Reylo songfic with lyrics from If We Were Vampires by Jason Isbell
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	promise

_It's not the long, flowing dress that you're in_

The fabric drapes across her body, ghosting over the floor as she takes a step towards him. It's late; the feast ended hours ago, and after wandering the gardens and watching the sunset, they found their way here, to an abandoned hut nearby. Other than a layer of dust that coats every visible thing, it's still in decently good condition.

_Or the light coming off of your skin_

Moonlight gleams in through the window, and he admires the way it makes her glow. Thrown before the sun, she comes alive, but in the cover of night, she looks ethereal, beautiful and otherworldly.

_The fragile heart you protected for so long_

There's fear in her eyes, and uncertainty, but it slowly melts away as he lifts a hand to her face and gently cups her cheek. She leans into his touch and he smiles, watching her eyelids flutter shut. When he draws her towards him, she goes willingly, and he swears the tension eases as their lips meet.

_Or the mercy in your sense of right and wrong_

He knows she is too good for him, too pure, too full of light. He is darkness, a raging storm, a night with no stars. But now, as her fingers drift up his neck to tangle in his hair, he thinks he would gladly let her sear through every part of him if it meant more moments like this.

_It's not your hands searching slow in the dark_

He shivers as she leans back and one of her hands comes to rest on his chest, then trails lazily down his torso. Her fingers are delicate but lithe, and sure. His breath hitches as she wanders off to go down the side of his ribs, slipping under the hem of his shirt on the way back up.

_Or your nails leaving love's watermark_

She lightly digs her nails into his side, and when he gasps, she smirks, eyes lowering to his lips. "Rey," he murmurs, and her gaze snaps up to meet his.

_It's not the way you talk me off the roof_

"Ben," she whispers, eyes gleaming, and the sound of his name on her lips takes him away. And the way she's looking at him, it makes up for all the sorrow in his past, all the pain he's carried with him all these years. It's not like things are going to be okay right away, but maybe they will be. Maybe one day, he'll wake up next to her and everything will be alright.

_Your questions like directions to the truth_

"What do you want?" she breathes. They are almost nose to nose, and he is dizzyingly aware of her proximity, the lock of hair falling down from her face that is brushing his cheek, the warmth radiating from her. It isn't hard to find an answer to her question. "You."

_It's knowing that this can't go on forever_

He kisses her then, pressing close to her with a desperate urgency. She molds to him, and every inch of his body comes alive at the feel of her against him. He brushes her hair away from her face and tilts her chin upward, and the small noise she makes in the back of her throat makes his heart ache even more at the knowledge that this is, in the most futuristic sense of the word, temporary.

_Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone_

He knows they aren't immortal, that danger will greet them at every twist and turn. They've only just escaped the first of what will surely be many catastrophic near-death conflicts, and he isn't stupid. He knows there will be more, that this isn't the end. That the eternal silence that will come one day might only claim one of them at first.

_Maybe we'll get forty years together_

The thought of a future with her is enough for him to brave any threat, take any leap, move any mountain. But at the same time, it will eventually come to an end, one way or another, and the thought of that leaves him so helpless he tries to shove it out of his mind, and fails.

_But one day I'll be gone_

Nothing is permanent, he knows that. Even the greatest structures crumble, and some of the most powerful figures in history were subject to the most magnificent downfalls the galaxy has ever seen. Perhaps he has built himself up so much that he has convinced himself he is invincible, that he will remain untouched by the passing years. It has given him a bravado that he knows makes her uneasy, but he has been strong for so long that he doesn't know what would happen if he let himself soften.

_Or one day you'll be gone_

He touches her gently, reverently, her lips soft and pliant against his. He tries to convey how much he cares about her in the way he pulls her close, the sweet slowness in the kisses he places on her throat, starting at her collarbone and working his way up her neck. She sighs lightly, and he wraps his arms around her, afraid she will turn to dust.

_If we were vampires and death was a joke_

It's not like he hasn't contemplated the possibility of immortality. The thought has crossed his mind multiple times, along with a wild and desperate urge to search for a way. To cast aside everything else and look for the possibility that their days might not be numbered. But he is not a fool, or, at least, he doesn't like to think he is. He knows the quest would be futile anyway.

_We'd go out on the sidewalk and smoke_

But on days like this, when he has her in his arms and everything just feels so real and raw and fragile, he finds his imagination slipping out of control. He wonders what it would be like to be unhindered by time.

_And laugh at all the lovers and their plans_

What would they think of other couples? Would they scoff at the idea of a schedule? Of events laid out in any sort of methodical order?

_I wouldn't feel the need to hold your hand_

Or would they be envious of the urgency of an unspoken deadline? Of a timer ticking down that made every second count?

_Maybe time running out is a gift_

It's probably better this way. Maybe the beauty in something isn't in its ability to be everlasting, but in how it radiates glory for the duration of its existence. Maybe they will go out like a star: a final, dazzling supernova of blinding light before winking out forever.

_I'll work hard 'til the end of my shift_

He pulls back for a moment to look at her. They have found their way to the bed, and while she seems small beneath him, she is strong. That is what he has always loved about her - her resilience, the dare in her eyes as she gazes up at him, her hair coming loose from its ties. And in that instant, he knows that he will fight for everything with her. Every breath, every kiss, every memory he hopes they will have the chance to make.

_And give you every second I can find_

He wants her early morning yawns, her late night murmurs. He wants her smile mid laugh, her lips set in a determined line. He wants to hold her hand and take her on adventures through the woods. He wants to leave her breathless and, at the same time, fill her lungs with the freshest air in the galaxy. He wants to be by her side, for as long as she'll let him.

_And hope it isn't me who's left behind_

Whatever may come, they will face it together. But selfishly, he hopes he won't have to live the last of his days without her. He knows it would break him.

But for her ... He kisses her with a new urgency, and she accepts it gladly, and as they move impossibly closer together, he knows that even if this ends in heartbreak, it will all be worth it. She is worth it.

"I love you, Rey," he murmurs, and the truth of it flows through him, lighting his soul on fire.

"I love you, Ben," she returns, and there is a soft sincerity in her voice that sounds beautifully like a promise.


End file.
